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VALENCIA, Spain : British top seed Andy Murray stayed on course for his sixth title of the season on Friday when he defeated Spain's Albert Montanes 6-4, 6-2 to reach the Valencia ATP semi-finals.
Murray, the world number four, had struggled for two hours and 22 minutes against Argentina's Leonardo Mayer on Thursday, but he was in complete control in his quarter-final, sealing victory in just 73 minutes.
The 22-year-old Murray is one of three players this season to have won at least 60 matches and, together with Rafael Nadal, leads the ATP World Tour with five titles in 2009.
Meanwhile, Gilles Simon's hopes of qualifying for the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals hang in the balance after the fifth seed was defeated by in-form Russian Mikhail Youzhny 6-4, 6-4.
The Frenchman is more than 900 points behind the eighth-placed Fernando Verdasco and needs to at least match the Spaniard?s result this week to keep his hopes alive.
Fourth seed Verdasco features in the final quarter-final of the day against countryman Tommy Robredo.
Youzhny next will face second seeded Nikolay Davydenko, also a strong contender to clinch one of the final two berths at the season finale in London.
The Russian defeated Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-4, 7-6 (7/3)
- AFP /ls
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